Los Angeles calls for investigation into LA28 Olympics chief over Epstein ties
Upper AbyssinianLos Angeles, California
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The Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved a measure urging the Olympic committee to investigate Los Angeles 2028 chief Casey Wasserman over his ties to pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Wasserman is facing growing calls to leave his post after revelations surfaced showing he flew aboard Epstein’s jet and exchanged flirtatious emails with the late financier’s imprisoned associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, in 2003.
The resolution, while non-binding and largely symbolic, reflects the simmering unease in the upcoming Summer Games host city over Wasserman.
The sports and entertainment executive has not been accused of any wrongdoing and has expressed regret for the decades-old exchanges.
The city council’s resolution, passed by a 12-0 vote, expresses “concern regarding the potential conflict between the values of the Olympic movement and Casey Wasserman’s association with the Epstein files.”
It calls for a “thorough and transparent” review of Wasserman’s involvement with Epstein.
“We found that Mr. Wasserman’s relationship with Epstein and Maxwell did not go beyond what has already been publicly documented,” the commission said at the time.
After Friday’s city council vote, the board told the BBC in a statement that it had already made its decision on Wasserman’s future and was instead focusing on moving the Games forward.
“With the Board of Directors’ position of leadership established, LA28’s goal remains to deliver fiscally responsible, privately funded Games that protect taxpayers and benefit Los Angeles,” the statement said. “We are on track to host a successful Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2028.”
The vote came amid a litany of calls for his ouster, ranging from celebrities to politicians, including the city’s mayor, Karen Bass. A table of musicians and athletes represented by talent firm Wasserman announced he would part ways with the agency.
“I am deeply sorry that my past personal mistakes have caused you so much discomfort,” Wasserman wrote to the agency’s 4,000 employees in an email obtained by the BBC.
He continued: “It’s not fair to you, and it’s not fair to the customers and partners we so vigorously represent and care about so deeply.”
Wasserman, who is one of several prominent figures included in Epstein’s millions of documents, has not been accused of wrongdoing by any of Epstein’s victims. The appearance of his name in the records does not imply criminal activity of any kind. The BBC has contacted its representatives about the city council’s vote.
Wasserman previously said he “deeply regrets” his discussions with Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for facilitating Epstein’s sexual abuse of teenage girls.
He noted that his email exchanges with Maxwell “took place more than two decades ago, long before his horrific crimes came to light,” and that he never had any business dealings with Epstein.
